Media Representation of Race and Ethnicity in 'Hotel Babylon'

Camera

• Panning shot of maids - conforms to eastern European stereotype of working in the public sector - European people, Ethnicity
• Diegetic dialogue - booze girls ganja - depicts dangerous reckless behaviour shown during shot reverse shot - Black people, Race

Sound

• Diegetic dialogue - difference in way of speaking. colloquial language "blood" and "ganja" as opposed to well spoken staff - Black people, Race
• Diegetic sound bridge of dialogue - "British plague" counter stereotype/irony said from an Italian now in Britain - British people, Ethnicity

Mise en scene

• Difference in mannerisms when talking to guests and talking to friend, more thug-like stances and movements as opposed to rigid stand up straight posture of guests - Black people, Race
• Tattoos and braids on friend and no tattoos with business hair cut on staff - Black people, Race

Editing 

• Scene transition using pillars to transition between scenes. each frame shows a white guest - upper class money - White people, Race
• Jump cutting of full 2 shot, close ups and medium 2 shots showing people with head caps typical within Islamic faith - Islamic people, Ethnicity

Essay

Within the extract of hotel Babylon, race and ethnicity are presented as both stereotypical and counter stereotypical through the use of camera, mise en scene, editing and sound. Race is defined as dividing people into groups based on physical characteristics, whilst ethnicity is a group of people with common traditions and/or faiths.

Firstly, camera, sound and mise en scene are used to represent ethnicity when there is a panning shot on the maids. They are shown wheeling carts and wearing maids outfits; the standard black dress with the white apron and a white hair tie. When they spoke, they spoke with a Franco-British accent, evident that they had been living in the country for some time after having migrated here. This conforms to the typical stereotype of eastern European people coming into the country and taking all of the blue collar public sector jobs that are in the UK. This has recently been made a common stereotype through people from countries all over Europe, such as Bosnia and Bulgaria, who come into the country seeking jobs and benefits. Because of the media's representation of these types of people, as confirmed during the recent Leveson Inquiry, has lead people to conform to this stereotype of foreign people as people who all work for minimum wage. In addition, sound and mise en scene are also used to demonstrate a different stereotype of European ethnicity, specifically Italians. Within the diegetic sound bridge of dialogue exchanged between the Italian and the British chef in the kitchen, the Italian chef calls the other a "British Plague". This is the same word David Cameron used to describe the mass migration of people fleeing from their countries into Britain which the media took advantage off making multiple headline news stories about it. Since, it has been a word associated with immigrants coming into Britain. This therefore is ironic to have the Italian chef, who migrated to Britain for work to call the British Chef "British Plague". Proceeding this, he begins to pick up a knife ready to have a fight. This in conjunction with his comment conform to the stereotype of Italian people being hot-blooded and ready to have a fight at any given time, further showing how ethnicity is represented within this media text.

Furthermore, camera, mise en scene and sound are used to represent race during the conversation between two black characters. The diegetic dialogue exchanged between the characters, shown during a shot reverse shot including words such as "Booze", "Girls", "Blud" and "Ganja" conforms to Alvarado's Race Theory of black people stereotypically being depicted as sexual, thug-like and and criminal people. The way in which the characters are standing also confirm this. One of the characters stands with a square-on, aggressive stance, typical of a person who would be ready to fight for example. This conforms to the thug-like stereotype outlined by Alvarado but also relates to Cohen who said that people have become fearful of certain races due to world events that have occurred, and due to "the black mugger", gangsterism and riots have stereotypically included predominantly black people, the media's representation of black people in this way intends to play on common already existing stereotypes. However, there have also been counter stereotypes demonstrated as well. The diegetic dialogue spoken between the two is very different. Whilst one uses vocabulary including words such as "Ganja" the other speaks eloquently. This subverts from the gangster stereotype of Alvarado showing how not all black people fit into this stereotype. This however can also be disproven due to the fact that they both speak with a south-London accent, a region stereotypically associated with black people due to the low income bracket of the area. Additionally, the use of tattoos on one of the characters as opposed to the lack thereof on the other subverts from Alvarado's stereotype of black people being dangerous people due to the connotations of a tattoo alluding to gangs, violence and rebellion.

In continuance, mise en scene and editing are used to represent race during the swimming pool scene. The scene uses the pillars within the swimming pool area to transition between cuts, from a long shot to a panning medium shot back to a long shot. Within each scene, white people are seen drinking champagne, dressed in nice clothes, relaxing whilst the black serviceman on hand is waiting on them. They are shown wearing white or gold clothing. These colours have connotations of purity, wealth and status. This is a subtle reference to white privilege being that they are the only, apart from one person, race present in such a hotel. This alludes to the fact that the white race has been perceived as being the superior race and depicts how race is something that equates to status.

Moreover, editing and mise en scene are also used to depict ethnicity during the scene where two people are seen walking down the kitchen corridor. There are quick transitions between the scenes showing a medium two shot, alternative perspective close up shots and tracking full two shots. During these shots, people are walking past the two people wearing head caps. This is typically associated with people in the Islamic faith which they wear as a symbol of respect to their God. An element of tokenism could be argued here due to the fact that those people didn't need to be, as inferred by the cap, Islamic people, it could've been any worker, however they are used instead, which one could argue is due to the fact that Hotel Babylon is criticising or conforming to the stereotype of people from foreign countries being people who come to the country to work on minimum wage.

In conclusion, representation of ethnicity and race are broadly shown within the clip. However, David Gauntlet pointed out that the level of representation of different ethnicities and races by the media needs to be contained which is a theory that can be applied in this clip due to the representation of ethnicities and races are being done through ethnocentricism, a theory developed by Elizabeth Poole whereby a representation is made through one's own culture. 

Media Representations of Race and Ethnicity

Ethnicity

• Definition
• Population whose members identify with each other on the basis of common nationality or shared cultural traditions
• Connotations
• Shared cultural, linguistic, religious and/or historical traits

Race

• Definition
• Concept of dividing people into populations based on various physical characteristics usually resulting from genetic ancestry 
• Connotations
• Presumes shared biological or genetic traits 

Othering

• Process of seeing one group of people belonging to one's own culture and another being completely alien

Media Representation

• The way in which the media shows the world

How is race represented?

More often than not, the subject of race is carefully addresses, therefore not many TV Dramas are willing to depict the true diversity within race for fear of backlash or cultural appropriation. In addition to this, the use of, for example, black people within a TV Drama may be included, however, they are usually the subordinate or a part time character on the show. In the event that they are the main character within the production, their race will be a focal point for their actions as opposed to what their actions actually are. In the same light, subjects such as white privilege are not explored with a white main character, further demonstrating that race is something that is very scarcely represented.

TV Drama Depictions of Race:

Mason

• Clever
• Helper
• Friend

Dr. Deaton

• Very Smart
• Helper
• Calm

Deucalion

• Antagonist
• Cunning
• Deceitful

Kira Yukimura

• Powerful
• Love Interest
• Strong

Olivia Pope

• Strong
• Courageous
• Notorious

Roan Pope

• Antagonist
• Cunning
• Manipulative

Annalise Keating

• Strong-willed
• Caring
• Protective

Nate Lahey

• Sacrificial
• Selfless
• Brave

Laurel Castillo

• Clever
• Serious
• Protective

Luthur

• Clever
• Protective
• Perceptive

Representations:

• Can consist of the same sort of rigid stereotypes that constitute gender portrayal
• Stereotyping of race can be seen as more harmful than gender
• Presents audience with only one particular representation of race can create mind set that this is the truth (e.g. TOWIE making people believe all Essex people are heavily made up but they haven't been to Essex)
• Stereotypes based on social myth through the ages

Alvarado's Race Theory 1978

Said that race is represented as:

• Exotic
• Dangerous
• Humorous
• Pitied

Cohen Moral Panic Theory 1972

Described as a condition, episode, person or group that emerge to be defined as a threat to society. 

• 1970s – The image of the black mugger 
• 1980s – Image of rioter 
• 1990s – Gangsta, gun crimes etc 
• 2000s – Media focus shifts to Muslims

Tokenism

• Limited inclusion or artistic and/or political representations of members of a traditionally marginalised group
• Creates false appearance of inclusive practices rather than discrimination
• Represented as blue collar workers 
• For example, purposely including a minority member in an all white cast

Middle eastern stereotypes

• Blue collar worker e.g. shop owner, cab drivers
• Originated from colonist views placing British people as superior
• Immigrants, seeking employment 
• Studious
• Family-orientated
• Patriarchal 
• Misogynist 
• Resulting from a clash of western and eastern cultures and religions 

Islamaphobia

• Sprouted from the 9/11 attacks 
• Fear of Muslims 
• Media has stereotyped Asians as terrorists and villains

Eastern Europeans 

• Polish
• Represented as cheap labour workers 
• Far Eastern Origin
• Clever
• Computer experts
• Technicians, excellent with technology
• Exclusively Japanese characters in Sci-fi movies

Stereotypes of black people:

• Musicians
• Sportsmen and women
• Comedians
• Criminals
• Socially dysfunctional
• Prostitute/sexually promiscuous 
• The stud/pimp

Gaye Tuchman Symbolic Annihilation 1978

• Refers to the absence or under representation of certain social groups within media 
• Refers to social groups who are misrepresented through stereotypes

Representation of Ethnic Minorities:

• Criminals
• Threat
• Dependent
• Abnormal
• Unimportant

Leveson Inquiry

• Media representations of ethnic minorities undermines the concept of a tolerant multi cultural society. 
• Helps create social divisions based on ethnicity

Sumner: Ethnocentrism - 1906

• Evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture.
• e.g. Commenting on an ethnic issue from a British white supremacist view as the base 
• Says that media representations of Muslims since attacks of 9/11 have been very negative, causing Muslims to have negative stereotypes associated with them

David Gauntlet 2008

Sociological analysis of media representations needs to be cautious due to diversity of Britain

How is Age represented in 'Waterloo Road' Essay

Camera

• Low angle on head mistress at start of explosion position of authority contrasts high angle of student bent over coughing, shows difference in ability to gain control over ones emotions
• Mid two shot of student helping teacher, example of selflessness subversion against common stereotypes 
• Focus pull - teacher is blurry and students are focused. Pulls audience's focus to the students to allude to the focus that the teachers have solely for the students. 
• High angle tilt down shot on teacher coughing and falling to the ground - being protected by the student. Subverts from lazy, self centered stereotype of teens. Conforms to dependent stereotype of old people.

Editing

• Shot duration, teenagers seen through series of quick jump cuts however longer low angle shot on teacher. Further shows the ability to gain control over emotions. Subversion from weak stereotype of age and strong stereotype of teens 
• Match cut - inclusion of the fire and smoke between girl in bathroom and crowd trapped behind door. Recurring theme of teens doing that they have to do in order to stay alive whereas the older person has fainted on the floor. Conformation to the stereotype dependency of old people

Sound

• Diegetic sound - difference in screams of teenagers and panicked shouting against the authoritative calm voices of direction from the teachers.
• Sound bridge "there's been a huge explosion" shows the panic in the youth. Conforms to the vulnerability of the youth
• Diegetic sound "because I'm pregnant" vs.. "get everyone to the assembly point" shows the differences in priorities. Conforms to hormonal stereotype of teens. Subverts from dependent stereotype of old people 

Mise-en-scene

• Positioning of actors - positioning of teacher at the back to let the students get access to the air in the gap in the door. Conformation to naive stereotype of teens and subversion to helpless stereotype of old people
• Uniform - variations to uniform from students vs. regimented uniform of staff. Conforms to the rebellious stereotype of teens and conforms to wise i.e. smart looking stereotype of old people

Essay

In the clip of 'Waterloo Road', the representation youth is contrasted to the representation of older people in terms of characteristic, dialogue and actions. However, there is equal evidence that shows how teens and older people equally subvert and conform to common stereotypes associated with their respective age groups.

Firstly, young people are represented through camera, editing and sound. The low angle shot on the head mistress connotes how she is in a position of high authority due to the audience being in the position where they are looking up at her, which relates to her power of being head mistress. This is contrasted to the shot directly after which is a high angle of a teenage boy bent over, coughing, walking towards a door. This puts teenagers at a lower position of authority to the audience now looking down at the teen how, coughing, is in a vulnerable position. This relates to age as it makes the teen in the shot seem dependent on the teacher, subverting from the common stereotype with older people being that they are dependent on others. Furthermore, there is a longer shot duration on with the scenes denoting teachers trying to gain control of the situation, however there are fast jump cuts from different angles in the form of parallel editing. For example, when the head mistress and the subject teacher are planning to get all of the students to the assembly point, the shot duration is much longer than scenes of fast jump cuts showing the panic of students being trapped by the fire. This relates to age as it connotes how older people are more able to have control over their emotions as opposed to the teens who are frantic, as inferred by the pace of the cutting shots.this subverts from the stereotype of old people being weak as they are shown as the stronger age bracket out of the two and also subverts from the stereotype of teens being strong as they are seen not being able to stay calm and find a solution. This is further explored through the use of diegetic sound. The sounds coming from the teens are mainly screams, shouts and panicked talking. However for the teachers, there is only the diegetic sound of them talking calmly. The authoritative voices of the teachers contradicts the dependent nature of older people, due to the fact that this situation makes this stereotypes fit the teen age group. Likewise, there is a diegetic sound bridge of the dialogue "there's been a massive explosion". This shows the panic within the teens not only to survive but to comprehend the situation. This conforms to the typical stereotype of teens being vulnerable due to their lack of experience.

Furthermore, teens are represented as selfless through the use of camera shots and mise-en-scene. During the medium two shot of the student helping the teacher to escape, the theme of teens being selfless is broken. This is due to the fact that as opposed to the teen only thinking about himself and trying to get air through the small gap, he ensured that the teacher was helped. This shows a subversion from the typical selfish stereotype associated with teens. Furthermore, there is a focus pull from the teacher in the foreground to the students in the back ground. This pulls the audience's attention to the students which connotes how the focus for the teachers is solely the students. This demonstrates how these older people are subverting from the stereotype of being weak as their strength to put the students needs before their own is more prominent. Moreover, during a high angle tilt down shot of a student helping to lower teacher to the ground due to having inhaled too much smoke shows another break in typical teen stereotypes. Here, the teen is subverting from the stereotype of being a lazy, self-centred teen due to the fact that he puts himself at risk of inhaling too much gas in order to help the teacher. This is however a display of typical stereotypes associated with old people being that they are dependent on others due to the fact that the teacher was knocked out after a while whereby the student carried her out of the building on his own.

However, older people are also represented through the use of sound. The diegetic dialogue of "I'm pregnant" from one of the teenage characters as opposed to the diegetic dialogue of "get everyone to the assembly point" from one of the teachers shows that the two different age groups demonstrate very major differences in their priorities. This conforms to the hormonal stereotype associated with teens due to the fact that the girl is under-aged and pregnant, however, it also conforms to the naive aspects of teenagers seeing as there has just been an explosion however the girl is jealous because the apparent father of the child is about to save another girl. On the other hand, it subverts from the dependent stereotype of older people seeing as they're making sure they ensure the safety of the students first.

Furthermore, students are represented in two different ways through mise-en-scene. The positioning of actors with the teacher at the back (i.e. closer to the fire) and the students at the front (i.e. closer to a supply of oxygen) makes the teens conform to certain stereotypes. This includes the stereotype of teens being naive as they are very panicked and haven't considered that their teacher has passed out behind them. This also subverts from the helpless stereotype due to the fact that the teacher sacrificed her access of oxygen so that the students could breathe, an act of selflessness that conforms to the stereotype of older people being strong. Furthermore, there is also evidence that the students aren't fully aware of the reasoning behind rules that are in place. For example, all of the teachers are seen in smart wear with no exceptions, however, many of the students made alterations to their uniform, such as an un-tucked tie or a rolled up skirt. This conforms to the rebellious nature of teens due to their display of a deterrence against the rules. Likewise, this conforms to the stereotype of older people being wise due to the fast that they know that wearing a uniform makes them look smart and professional.

To conclude, teens and older people have been depicted as age groups that both conform to and subvert from different stereotypes associated with their ages respectively. The fact that there is an explosion acts as a tragic event that brings out the true personality of people, exposing who they really are.

Media Representation of Age

Iconography - The visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these.

Stereotypes of old age:

• Tend to appear grumpy 
• Conservative 
• Stubborn 
• Resistant to change 
• Supposed to be pitied
• Dependent on other family members
• Economic burden
• Helpless

How has Catherine Tate represented 'Nan'?

Is she stereotypical?
She is shown as someone who fits the typical stereotypes of old people e.g. stubborn and resistant to change. She's wearing stereotypical clothing e.g. cardigan and floral as well as having messy bushy hair.However she's also dancing around and singing.

What is her iconography?
Cardigan, floral patterns, messy hair and a doily. She's in a high chair which is typically associated with old people.

What genre of program does she exist within?
She's in a comedy which means the audience is meant to make fun of her.

How are the 'Nannies' in the 'Shreddies' advert represented?

• Enjoying a second child hood
• Reliving adolescence
• Doing activities they want to do before they die
• A bit cheeky

Positive and Negative Stereotypes of Youth and Old Age:

Differently Abled Representations and Stereotypes

Disabled: 

• A person who has a physical or mental condition that limits their movements, senses and/or activities

TV shows that have differently abled people in them:

• Glee: Artie Adams

• Silent Witness: Clarissa Mullery

• Breaking Bad: Walter JR

• Walking Dead: Herschel 

• Game of Thrones: Hodor, Bran and Tyrion

• 90210: Riley and Dixon

Facts about Disabilities:

• There are 770,000 or 1 in 20 disabled children under 16 in the UK
• 1 in 5 working adults have a disability 

Paul Hunt (1991): 10 disability stereotypes

• Unable to participate in daily activities
• Sinister or Evil
• The super cripple
• Non-sexual
• Used as atmosphere 
• A burden
• Laughable
• Their own worst enemy
• Pitiable or Pathetic
• An object of curiosity or violence
• DESSABLE PC

Shakespeare (1999): The Medical Model

• The media throughout history has depicted disability as an impairment, Shakespeare point out in his article about disability in film.
• "Impairment is made the most important thing" and disabled characters are "objectified and distanced from the audience".
• People that represent disabled people in the media tend to depict them as pitiable people

The Imbetweeners

• Why is the clip funny
• Display of actions not going to plan 
• Ending up hitting someone in a position who stereotypically isn't able to defend themselves
• How is the disabled girl represented
• Helpless
• Unintelligent
• Burden
• Problematic
• Helpless
• Are we meant to be laughing at the disabled girl?
• Yes - she is being presented at the person who is the victim of an unfortunate situation. From a cynical point of view, some could see it as funnier as she is disabled
• No - you're supposed to be laughing at Will not her because he is the one who had the Frisbee throne at her and is not in an awkward situation
• Are they the butt of the joke
• Yes - she is the one who the Frisbee hit
• No - Will is now the one in the awkward situation with loads of guys chasing him
• How would disabled people respond to this?
• Insulted - they're only represented as a person who gets into trouble and is in an embarrassing situation
• How does this comply with Shakespeare’s stereotype?
• The disabled girl in the media text is shown as someone who is in a situation that makes the audience want to feel sorry for her
• Are we being conditioned to feel sorry for the disabled people?
• We are either being conditioned to feel sorry for them or we're being conditioned to laugh at them

Life's Too Short

• Why is this clip funny? 
• Because people around the main character are being and unhelpful
• How is Warwick Davis represented? 
• He's presented as a person who is trying to get on with normal activities
• He is still shown as someone who needs help but he is still able to get on with activities on his own
• Are we meant to be laughing at the disabled person? 
• In a sense. You’re mainly laughing at the situations that he gets himself into.
• Are they the ‘butt’ of the joke? 
• Yes but only because of the situation that he is put into not because he is disabled
• How many of Paul Hunt’s (1991) stereotypes does this clip comply with? 
• It complies to the theme of being their own worst enemy due to no body taking him seriously and trying to be able to complete normal tasks in spite of his disability 
• In what way does the representation comply with Shakespeare’s Stereotype
• He is presented as pitiable as he is trying to go about normal actions but is facing difficulty due to the people around him
• Are we as society being cultivated to think that we should pity disability?
• From this clip, no

A Touch of Frost Essay

• Camera 
• Long Shot - billy being tracked through the woods at night - wrong doing. disability associated with deviant behavior.
• Low level long shot - police dog hunting for billy - supports idea of disability associated with wrong doing/dangerous behavior. narrative presents need for capture 
• Tracking medium long shot - follows billy who is oblivious to police
• Extreme close up - reaction shot display of billy's fright - shows disability as easily frightened, naive and vulnerable
• tracking shot - disability = threat
• medium three high angle shot meet billy's mother disability = child-like treatment
• high angle long 2 shot of billy and father,audience to look down on billy
• close up on cop, seen as reassuring, disability = child-like treatment
• high angle on billy, able bodied in control
• Mise en scene
• Actor positioning - open bodied stance seems genuine in contrast to disabled billy who is "Strange" disability associated with deviant behavior 
• dusting himself off - wrong doing
• low level shot, billy on the ground, audience see billy being over powered by police. disability represented as weak and/or in need of control
• police, crowd and police car - disability = threat
• holding washing bowl used for small children or the helpless disability = child-like treatment
• father kneels down, disability = child-like treatment
• low angle POV with close up on face = billy = suspicious of police
• head tilted, stereotype of often confused disability 
• billy doesn't look at audience - untrustworthy, dangerous
• Editing
• reinforced deviant behavior by low key lighting
• low key lighting casts shadow - evil, darkness, untrustworthy, dangerous
• SRS, close up and high key lighting shows able bodied as being trustworthy
• Sound
• Dialogue - "I didn't think there was anything strange... about Billy". sets context for disability to be seen as abnormal, able bodied underestimate those with a disability
• eerie non-diegetic sound - relates to horror genre
• dialogue - "I haven't done anything wrong" pleading and low level high angle shot of vulnerability being pulled up by collar - disability represented as pitiful and powerless
• dialogue - "mentally abnormal" "handicapped" "handicapped sorry" shows able bodied as ignorant about those with difficulties
• dialogue - "have someone with me in case I bend the rules" implies disability needing careful handling
• dialogue - father insistence on "handicapped" disability = child-like treatment
• dialogue - "we must've frightened you... all of a sudden police dogs and shoting" simplistic terms,  disability = child-like treatment
• dialogue - "I was frightened" able bodied in control

Essay

In the clip 'A Touch of Frost' the theme disability is represented as being vulnerable, deviant and out of control in comparison to those who are able bodied.

Firstly, disabled people are depicted as being people that are deviant in nature. The medium two shot in the first scene denoting Billy’s parents, shows them standing with open bodied stances. This connotes trustworthiness as they are being shown as people with nothing to hide. This is juxtaposed to the presentation of Billy in the scene whereby his mum says "I didn't think there was anything strange... about Billy". This sets the context for disabilities to be abnormal. This conforms to Shakespeare's The Medical Model where he states that within the media "disabilities are used to distance the audience from the disabled people as a show of the abnormalities that they show". Furthermore, in the preceding long shot showing Billy being tracked through the woods at night, he is seen dusting himself off. Both the abnormal sight of a person walking through the forest on his own at night, in conjunction with the fact that he is seen dusting himself off, connotes some sort of wrong doing action that Billy has done. In addition to this, this scene is inclusive of eerie non-diegetic music, which is typically associated with the genre of horror. Further on into the clip when Billy is talking to the police officer, the low-key lighting casts a shadow over his shoulder. This darkness symbolises evil natures, danger and an untrustworthy character. This further adds to the notion that disabled people are presented as dangerous seeing as the music, alongside side the suspicious nature of Billy’s location and actions which all started from his mothers foreboding comment, allow the audience to create the image that complies with the social conditioning factor of disabled people being deviant and dangerous.

Eastenders Analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heA414lv6gc

Setting: East London
Ethnicity: Pakistani, British

Camera

• Mostly mid shots 
• Medium three shot
• Close up on phone
• Low angle showing bin and girl when letter is thrown in the bin 
• Fast panning shot of Pakistani woman to show anger over being miss-classed
• Mid 2 shows surroundings 

Editing

• Cut in on phone 
• Fast paced straight cuts, indicate busy atmosphere in terms of working and internal affairs
• Long shot duration on cut in to picture of max, shows problems of love are universal across the classes

Mise en scene

• Cramped kitchen area, simplicity of decor depicts low class
• Stereotype enforced: Asian lady lives in a council estate - depicts difference in class
• Clothing is basic and not overly stylistic

Sound

• Diegetic sound of Whistle by Flo Rida and under the sun Cheryl Cole in the back ground is parallel, hip hop song which is a typical genre to listen to in east London 
• Heavy east London accent from all characters. Sound isn't crisp like RP shows lower class

Essay

Within the extract of this clip from British soap 'Eastenders', we are shown a representation of what life in the middle class in east London is like. Themes such as stereotypes are addressed as well as the question as to the verity of the stereotypes being presented in contrast to the people depicted.

Firstly, manipulation of sound and camera as well as mise-en-scene enables the audience to piece together where the location for this media text is set. One of the scenes shown in a medium three shot of two daughters and their mother, they are all shown wearing basic clothing. The clothes are typical of that of people who live in east London due to the fact that the financial bracket for people in this region is very different to that of the financial intuition of those in central London. Due to the fact that basic clothing such as the simple tops that the girls are wearing are fairly cheap to make and therefore are cheap to buy, they have been associated as archetypal clothing for people outside of London on lower wages. Furthermore, during the cafe scene, 'Whistle' by Flo Rida is the diegetic sound playing in the background. Furthermore during he bedroom scene where a woman is shown sorting out possessions for a person named 'Max' (who we later learn is her now ex husband), 'Under the Sun' by Cheryl Cole is the deistic sound playing in the background. These two back ground tracks are parallel sounds due to the fact that artists like Cheryl Cole and Flo Rida create music that is typically listened to by those in the working and middle classes due to the sexual content within the songs, typically deemed to vulgar for those in upper classes. In addition, during a medium two shot at the beginning, we are shown the state of the house from the outside. What is shown are pillars that have been eroded over time, and conforming to Barthes Referential Code, we can assume this has been due to rain. The connotations of the rain eroded pillars that are also very old looking shows that maintenance of the streets is very limited. This further conforms to the stereotypes of those in the middle and working classes living in places that aren't very extravagant and their lack of money is shown by the way in which the aesthetic of the street would appear old, neglected and not looked after, all conforming to stereotypes associated with people living in the eastern region of London being lower class. Furthermore, all of the characters bar the Pakistani woman speak with east London accents. Due to the fact that the east end accent doesn't compare to the Received Pronunciation that is associated with London, gaining the title of the business accent due to the influx of commercial affairs that occur in London, it shows that just from their accent, people living here are of a lower class than others. This is a depiction of their regional identity and conform to the typical stereotypes associated with people living in the east end being confrontational, as shown in the medium two shot discussed earlier where the line "you take one more step and it will be your last" was said. This shows how the setting, accent, clothing and music allows the audience to be able to have an idea as to where the media text is based, due to features within these two categories conforming to the typical stereotypes associated with those in lower classes.

Moreover, the use of stereotypes is exerted through the use of miss en scene and the type of editing used within the media text. The audience is shown a very cramped kitchen area during a medium three long shot whilst a family is seen eating breakfast. The connotations of this are that the people living there don't have that much money and therefore are unable to have a big house with a spacious kitchen. The denoted own brand of orange juice on the table also conforms to this, seeing as if they'd had the money to, they could've bought branded orange juice instead, however own brand is cheaper. Around the kitchen and in the bedroom upstarts, the decor is shown as very basic with patterns being shown from wallpapers as opposed to physical things within the rooms that depict elegancy. This is another demonstration of how the financial bracket that this family are in has had an effect on their way of life: having to settle for more basic things as opposed to the nicer more luxury products and surroundings. Furthermore, there are quick scene transitions in the form of straight cuts. This connotes a fast pace in terms of either work or internal affairs. Furthermore, the theme of racism paired with stereotyping is explored. When a Pakistani character complains to the shop attendant about local maintenance, the dialogue of "at least the council will fix it for you" implying that the woman is a council tenant. This is based off of race purely due to the fact that the woman was dressed in formal wear, showing that she is an. this shows how seeing as the woman was from Pakistan, there is the typical stereotype that is shared across the classes of immigrants coming to the country and taking over the jobs and council estates that the government has built. This is a negative depiction of regional identity, however is unfortunately at times a true representation of how people from abroad get treated when they come to England. However, there is subversion from the differences that have been shown thus far. The use of editing in conjunction with miss en scene shows that there, in terms of emotional factors, similarities between the classes. The shot duration during the cut in of the picture of the woman and her husband on their wedding day is quite long. This connotes feelings of high emotional connections and allows the audience to draw the conclusion that the woman is sad at the outcome of her marriage. This shows how when it comes to material things, yes there are many differences, however at the core of being a person, it doesn't matter what class you are in or how your regional identity is affected, love and pain are themes that continue across the classes.

To conclude, this media text depicts how regional class is displayed in terms of accent and stereotypes. The characters are shown being from East London in middle to working class to have regimented somewhat whitewashed views on the world around them.